Ofsted is Changing!?

Here’s what’s coming to make Ofsted different and better. Certainly the intention is to be better.

We’ll wait for the many unintended consequences.

Here’s a summary of what we heard.

The Response to the Big Listen

The 7 Cs

1. Children and learners first

2. Care and wellbeing of staff in schools

3. Consistency of Inspections

4. Content of inspection frameworks (tailor to providers, like special schools)

5. Complaints and being transparent

6. Constructive feedback in reports

7. Consequences of Ofsted judgements - replacing the single word with 10 words.

Key Takeaway

Sir Martyn Oliver genuinely wants to make the inspection process as fair and supportive as possible.

Is it more accurate, or more likely to lead to progress? No. But it is much easier to game. Read on to find out how to make the system work for you.

Next Steps

• They are going to share all their training materials.

• Releasing details of their reformed inspection frameworks soon

• Ofsted will keep the curriculum focus

• Parents were in favour of report cards instead of single word judgements

• Focus will be on academic and non academic outcomes

• Inclusion will be a new criterion

• Ofsted will look at area insights - an online portal to look at the context of each school

• Ofsted will take account of difficult local contexts and circumstances

• Rubrics will offer clear criteria to help leaders identify their strengths and weaknesses

• There will be a helpline for leaders during or after inspections

• A code of conduct and training for Ofsted inspectors will ensure professional standards

• Ofsted Academy will improve Ofsted’s training and improve the pool of diversity of context in recruiting inspectors

• Ofsted commissioned an independent learning review into Ruth Perry’s death - they have accepted all the findings

• 6 national hubs will create consistency, providing a centralised approach across each region

• A complaints process is easier, more timely, and more helpful. External representatives will check the fairness of the process

• Ofsted will share more evidence with leaders, so they can see what underpins the report

• They want to remain a learning organisation, and to keep listening

Key Takeaway

The drive towards consistency of inspection is real, and the attempts to improve this will make a difference.

This can only partly succeed, because you can never be consistent about 10 criteria. But Ofsted will allow us both the criteria to justify complaints, and the opportunity to be heard.

Especially if we complain during the inspection.

The Focus on SEND

• There will be a new Inclusion judgement

• New framework might have a new rubric for special schools.

• Alternative provision - there will be better training for inspectors and better data for APs.

• Larger focus on section F of EHCPs

• Ofsted will try to match the experience of inspectors to the sector they are inspecting

• Ofsted will advocate for SEND and AP

Key Takeaway

Ofsted will try hard to understand the contexts of special schools and alternative provisions.

They won’t recruit enough inspectors with the right experience, nor will they use those inspectors to train the others.

The inclusion agenda in secondary schools will lead to them being penalised for their behaviour policies, their attendance figures and their teaching approaches. Without progress measures, your score will be at the whim of the lead inspector.

Many mainstream schools will tactically seek to get a poor inclusion score, thereby putting off parents, and attracting more academic cohorts. Unintended consequence are going to bite back.

Ungraded Inspections

Inspectors will ask:

Has the school taken effective action to maintain standards - achievement, behaviour and more? The assumption at the start is that the school has.

• Focus areas are new - we will work with leaders to identify them in their school

• Leaders can engage in a professional dialogue with the inspector to shape the inspection

• This approach allows time for this dialogue, and to hear about context, challenges and priorities.

• The focus is away form curriculum, towards impact and leadership and management

• The inspection should feel like a monitoring visit rather than a graded inspection

• Inspectors want to work with leaders rather than look at subjects in depth

• Inspectors want to visit lessons with leaders and talk about impact as they go. This will involve more time in lessons, not just looking at the quality of education

• This will allow more dialogue with leaders

What is a Focus Area?

The aim is always to test the impact of leaders’ actions.

• There will be 3 or 4 focus areas

• 2 areas will focus on the quality of education, by grouping subjects

• 1 or 2 will be something leaders have been working on and want to showcase

• Early English and maths will be a focus in primary schools, but not a mandatory reading deep dive

• These will be a likely focus in special schools

• PSHE is also likely to be a special school focus

• This can include vocational subjects

• Secondary schools will have 2 groups of subjects to test the area of focus.

Example

Imagine the focus is on the quality of assessment, and the leaders’ work to improve it. Geography, history, science can be grouped in order to test the quality of assessment.

Behaviour is too broad for a focus. So the focus will be on something specific in behaviour, like the leaders’ work in reducing bullying.

Conversely, he online safety curriculum might be too narrow a focus for personal development. So Ofsted would focus on how leaders keep students safe.

Key Takeaway

This is very bad news for Ofsted’s role in improving schools. It is, frankly, a mess, as none of the areas of focus need to concern themselves with progress.

Taking our eye off the curriculum is guarantee that we will prioritise superficial practices which may or may not improve outcomes.

But the good news is very, very good. Leaders can now control the inspection. So long as you have a focus which responds clearly to the previous inspection, or to the local context, it will be a brave inspector to reject it.

Leaders can do a lot of work in advance to measure the impact of what they have been doing. This means you can guide the inspection team, and provide evidence of success.

Even better, the team want leaders to accompany them. You can rehearse and train your leaders to be articulate about what they are doing. You must train them to think hard about how to measure impact, and then how to showcase this to inspectors.

Balancing Consistency with Flexibility

• This means your inspection will have a very different focus to other schools

• But the process of the inspection and the handbook is what will make each inspection consistent

• Ofsted will still expect a broad and balanced curriculum

• Attendance will be a national priority reflected in the inspection

• Safeguarding is still a focus

• Inspections will look for off-rolling

• And at personal development

• And staff wellbeing

Key Takeaway

Balancing pregnancy with celibacy. Balancing speeding with road safety. Balancing a tray with no hands.

This is a disaster waiting to happen. Train your SLT so that the inconsistency lands in your favour.

The story you tell will decide your gradings. Rehearse it. Walk the school to see if it is true.

Outcomes

These won’t make sense till you have decided how to grade your areas of focus. Even then, you’ll have to read them a load of times in order to decide where you sit.

Outcome 1

• the school has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection. This will mean either:

  • there is no evidence that any key or provision judgement would be lower if a graded inspection took place

  • there is evidence that one or more key or provision judgements may be lower if a graded inspection took place, but it would still be good

Outcome 2

• evidence gathered during this inspection suggests that the school’s work may have improved significantly across all areas since the previous inspection. This will mean, if a graded inspection took place:

  • at least one key or provision judgement would be higher

  • none would be lower

  • all would be outstanding

Outcome 3

• evidence gathered during this inspection suggests that aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. This will mean:

  • at least one key or provision judgement would be lower if a graded inspection took place

  • that judgement would now be requires improvement or inadequate

Outcome 4

• the school may now be inadequate in one or more of the key judgements under a graded inspection, and there are serious concerns about the quality of education, pupils’ behaviour or safeguarding.

• The ungraded inspection will usually be deemed to be a graded inspection within 48 hours.